That's sounds like a good idea, but i didn't think they would take my car in because its a Lexus not a Toyota. Im sure they have the same equipment since many Toyota SUV's/Trucks use WS fluids. The part i was worried with is having a tech who knows about these cars instead of maybe under or overfilling my GS simply because they don't know about these cars. Yes i am a paranoid owner, that's why everything to all my cars ive owned was fixed/worked on by me.

 

Dude thanks for that PDF!!! That was immensely helpful, looks like from now on im going to do my own drain and fills!!

 

Toyota will, and is capable of servicing any Lexus (in North America at least). Lots of Lexus owners bring their car in for service and repairs to Toyota without any problems. An easy way to save a buck.

 

Lexus is a Toyota. They probably have exactly the same types of transmissions on all Toyota badged cars now.

 

Sorry to resurrect this thread from the dead....

As per Lexus Canada's maintenance guide, I'm due for for my change as well (96,000 km/60,000 mi). My usual independent mechanic couldn't do it since he didn't have the right equipment.

I plan to take it to another independent mechanic (ex-Lexus pro technician) and on their website, they offer the service of "Automatic Transaxle Fluid Change Service" for $70 and "Automatic Transaxle Fluid Flush Service" for $140.

I guess my question is which service do I need to do? I thought I read somewhere that flushing is not recommended. I can't remember what the reasoning was though.

Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

Just do a drain and fill, only a relatively small amount of fluid can be drained. I don't think you really need any special equipment... they can just drain into a measuring container and pump back in the same amount that came out.

Toyota can do it.

 

Thanks BinaryJay. I think I will just go with a drain and fill. It does seem a bit counterintuitive though, to be mixing old fluid and new fluid, but at the same time, I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the idea of injecting foreign fluids (i.e. cleaners) into the AT.

 

Nothing wrong with putting new fluid into the old, the point is that it just refreshes enough of the preservatives to freshen it again. It's a mystery why it's a required service in some regions and not in others but at least it doesn't cost a fortune (unless Lexus does it, they charge a lot for it - even out of line with the usual Lexus vs Toyota shop markup - and I don't know why).

 

I think regional variation of service requirements are likely a factor of climate. In Canada there are some extreme temperature variations where as some parts of the planet enjoy relatively stable conditions.

 

Thank you for this! Helped a lot.

 

Call your local Toyota dealership and inquire about the drain-refill. They are much cheaper then going to the Lexus dealership.